


One Year Later

by Dopple_Girl



Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon), ParaNorman (2012)
Genre: Crossover, Norman's POV, Wirt's POV, dipper's POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-06-04 11:43:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6656503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dopple_Girl/pseuds/Dopple_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wirt has been having nightmares. And his parents are shipping him out to Oregon for the summer with his stepbrother to "recover from the incident". </p><p>Norman just realized he was gay. And he's being forced to go on an across the country camping trip with his friend Neil to "put himself out there". </p><p>Dipper just survived the apocalypse. And him and his sister are being shipped out to Gravity Falls for another summer, seeing "how well it worked last time". </p><p>None of this is a coincidence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, here's how the chapters are going to be formatted. I'm doing three POV's in each, one from Norman, Wirt, and Dipper. They won't exactly be in the same place in each chapter, so look out for that. They won't be the same length either. I've always found writing shorter chapters, but I'm trying to lengthen them. 
> 
> Also, if you don't know from the description, this involves Paranorman, Gravity Falls, and Over the Garden Wall. All of them take place about a year after their respective events. And, enjoy.

**Wirt**

  
I saw myself. But it in that gnome costume I wore for Halloween, during the accident. I would get closer to myself, only to have the other me turn around. I tried to jump back, but my leg would be wrapped in edelwood branches. The Other One, as I called him, would have yellow eyes with black slits down the center.

"This is your fate." He would snarl at me. "You can't escape it. You will never be out of the woods." The branches would snake up my leg and surround my body at an unnatural rate. I would scream, but nothing would come out.

That is typically when I would wake up, panting and sweating. And this was one of these nights. When this nightmare would haunt me in my sleep. And ... I didn't know why. I've never been in that costume since October, and there was no reason for me to have yellow eyes. But that was just added. What I did know, and what did scare me, was the edelwood branches. They meant the Beast. But he was dead, right?

_You will never be out of the woods._

"Wirt?" Greg said, rubbing his eyes. "It's two in the morning. Go to sleep."

"Sorry, Greg. Just ... another nightmare. That's all."

"Maybe Oregon will fix that." Greg wished optimistically. Right. Parents shipping us out to Oregon with some family friends to recover after Halloween. Why wait 7 months? No idea. Pretty sure it's my step-dad's fault.

"Doubtful." I replied curtly.

"Was it about the Unknown or Sara?"

"Sara." I lied. Greg didn't need to know about the freaky vision-thingy I was having. Plus he had his own nightmares about the beast for about two months after the incident. "Just go to sleep."

"Okay. Hey, maybe we'll find a friend for Jason Funderberker. Maybe a Mrs. Jason Funderberker." He fell asleep soon after to his own mumblings. I couldn't fall asleep afterwards. Every time I closed my eyes I saw those yellow eyes staring back at me. Or I see those rainbow eyes of the beast. I just, couldn't.

I grabbed my laptop from my desk, and closed the tab I left open from poetry blog I follow. No need for, um, details on that. Anyways, I wanted to open this paranormal site I'd stumbled upon. I might have become a little, if not very, interested in weird stuff after the trip to the Unknown. And also constantly PM with two other users, or whatever. I just, had to talk to someone.

 **[DrowningGnome started the conversation]  
DrowningGnome:** _Anyone Up?_

I didn't expect a response as quickly as I got one.

 **[PineTree618 joined the conversation]  
PineTree618:** _I am._

 **[Medium13 joined the conversation]  
Medium13:** _That makes all of us. What's keeping you up?_

 **PineTree618:** _It's early. Usually don't go to bed before midnight._

 **DrowningGnome:** _It's two in the morning here. And nightmares again._

 **Medium13:** _That's sucks. Same on the 2 am thing. Plus my insomnia is acting up again._

 **PineTree618:** _I'm on the West Coast. Different time zones, I guess._

I hesitant on the next thing I was about to type. Should I put it out there or not? Maybe. I did ... somewhat trust them.

 **DrowningGnome:** _I'll be joining you tomorrow._

 **PineTree618:** _What do you mean?_

 **DrowningGnome:** _Parents shipping me and step-brother to Oregon for summer. Staying with family._

 **PineTree618:** _What town?_

That made me stumble a bit. Why was this guy (or girl, I don't know) asking about my plans for the summer. This person was starting to become insistent. Of course I knew where me and Greg are going, but he didn't need to know where. So, I lied.

 **DrowningGnome:** _Don't know, why?_

 **PineTree618:** _My family did that to me and my sister last summer. And again this summer. Just arrived. Want to know on he off hand chance we run into each other._

 **DrowningGnome:** _Alright. Enjoy Oregon, I guess._

 **PineTree618:** _Ok. And hey, just message me when you find out the town. If you want. And I hope you enjoy Oregon as well._

 **DrowningGnome:** _Hopefully I will. And hopefully I can get some sleep. Night._  
**[DrowningGnome left the conversation]**

I logged out of the site and laid down on the bed. I was not going to enjoy Gravity Falls.

** Dipper **

  
I pressed too hard. I didn't think that I would ever, you know, even be close to meeting my "online buddies", as Mabel called them, in real life. Now one of them was going to be in the same state as me! I logged out of the chat and practically slammed the laptop closed.

"What's the matter, bro-bro?" Mabel asked from her side of the room, looking up from a fashion magazine.

"Uh, you know my 'online friends'?" She nodded. Of course she did. "One of them is going to be in Oregon for the summer."

"DrowningGnome or Medium13?"

"DrowningGnome." I replied.

"You should really ask him about his username. I mean, what kind of name is DrowningGnome?"

"That's the problem. I don't know where he's going to be in Oregon and I don't know what they look like. Plus I don't want to meet them."

"What?!?" Mabel squealed. "Dipper, these are people that actually share an interest in the paranormal like you do."

"Yeah, but what it they're serial killers? Or ... girls?" Dipper muttered under his breath.

"Oh. You think you might have a crush on one of them." She teased. I threw a pillow at her. "You can't handle the truth. You don't want to meet them because of what might happen if you do have a crush."

I stayed silent. Mainly because she was right. Not many people could handle being around a crush without making a fool of themselves. And I was not one of those people. And they were my only friends who loved the paranormal stuff I liked. Meeting in reality could ruin everything. Mabel grinned, knowing she was right.

"I going to try to get some sleep." She announced. "Night, Dip."

"Night." I said back, and turned off my lights. But I didn't go to sleep. I was debating whether or not I should of asked where my "online friend" was going. Was that a good choice? Well, no fretting about it now. But there's one thing I knew. I was not going to enjoy Gravity Falls.

** Norman **

  
Insomnia was the worst. Nights at a time where I just couldn't go to sleep. It started when that incident with the Witch's Curse, and now was starting to become a regular thing. But now that something was on my mind, there was no way I was going to sleep now.

Me and my online friends were going to be in the same state for at least a month.

Sure, I didn't know where either of them were going to be, but there was a chance that they were going to be in a different towns, but there was going to be the slim chance that we ran into each other. And that was nerve racking.

My parents had found about a summer camping trip to Oregon about two months ago through Neil. Seeing as how I was becoming "antisocial", my parents figured it would be a good idea. Plus we were heading up there in July to spend with family. They figured one extra month wouldn't kill me.

My laptop dinged, signaling I had a new message from the chat I was in. It was from PineTree618.

 **PineTree618:** _You still up, Medium13?_

I typed a quick response.

 **Medium13:** _Insomnia doesn't seem to be letting up soon. Why, what's up?_

It took longer for them to respond this time.

 **PineTree618:** _I'm just ... nervous I might run into DrowningGnome. I mean, talking online is one thing. Actually meeting him/her is an entirely different thing. Besides, I don't even know their name or what they look like!_

 **Medium13:**   _I think you're overreacting a little bit. Get some sleep._

 **PineTree618:**   _Yeah, I guess. Night._

 **Medium13:**   _Night._  
**[PineTree618 has left the conversation]**

I had made sure PineTree618 left the conversation before logging out myself. I was glad that they didn't press too much further about my plans for the summer. They had always been the most paranoid out of the 3 of us, so I was sure that he'd freak out if he found I was going to Oregon, too. I laid back down, staring at my ceiling while sleep alluded me. One thing was for sure. I was not going to enjoy Gravity Falls.


	2. Chapter 2

**Dipper**

"Mabel! My arm!" I yelled as she dragged me through the woods behind the Shack.

"Almost there, bro-bro!" She shouted back at me. She came back from a nature hike all excited, and is now practically dragging me through the woods to show me something. And at this point my arm was really starting to hurt.

"Do you even know where you're going?!" I asked as she practically threw me around a corner. I stumbled, but was able to get my footing. Though she soon stopped dead and I almost ran her over.

"Here." She said quietly. "It's right here."

"Mabel, this better be—" I trailed off, as I saw what she was pointing at. It were worn by nature, with branches wrapped around it. But other than that, it looked the same. Just like it had a year ago.

Journal 1.

"Words ... not working ... they are." I gasped.

"I saw it during the hike." Mabel explained, as I pulled off the branches that surrounded it. "I just, couldn't believe it." I ripped at a hurried rate, seeing the golden 6-fingered hand on its cover and the neat 1 written in its center.

"I thought Bill burned them." I wondered aloud as I pulled them into my arms. "I thought I was never going to see them again."

"Maybe they were brought back when Weirdmageddon was reversed." Mabel suggested, and I nodded in agreement.

"Wait, where are Journals 2 and 3?"

"I don't know." Mabel confessed. "I only saw this one."

"Haha! I can't believe it! We ... We have to show Great Uncle Ford." I started to head back in the direction of the Shack when Mabel grabbed my shoulder.

"That's not the only thing I have to show you." Her voice has become grim as she lead me to another part of the woods. She was slower than before, not even grabbing my hand. After about 5 minutes, she stopped and pointed. Partially in the ground was a statue with an arm extended out. He looked exactly the same as last summer, the resemblance uncanny. I didn't know how to react, so I just stated the obvious.

"Bill."

** Wirt **

"And then we can head to that diner we saw from the bus. And then we could go to the trails. And then ..." My brother rambled on, while I tuned him out. The bus had dropped us off a few minutes out of the way from where we were staying with Greg's uncle, his real uncle, out in a cabin a little into the woods. It was coming into sight now. Nothing too spectacular.

"That's great, Greg." I muttered as we approached the small cabin. I knocked on the door politely, and waited until a girl answered. She looked to be 17, with long flaming red hair. She had a green plaid shirt on with denim jeans. An axe hung from the belt, which I hesitantly backed away from.

"Wendy!" Greg squealed, dropping his frog and running to give her a hug. Jason Funderberker hopped closer to me. I took a step away. Hey, it was Greg's frog, not mine.

"Hey, Greg." She responded as my half brother hugged her legs. "You must be Wirt. I've heard a lot about you." The girl, Wendy, extended her hand out to me. I took it.

"Thanks, I guess. So, where are your parents?" I asked. "You know, just not entirely comfortable with being alone after ..." I trailed off mid-sentence.

"My dad's on a camping trip with my brothers on the other side of the country. Somewhere in Maine, I think. My mom ..." This time it was here time to trail off mid sentence.

"Sorry. Did I ..?"

"No, no it's fine." Wendy interrupted. "Why don't you come in?"

"Yeah!" Greg yelled. "C'mon Jason Funderberker." He grabbed his frog, and we followed Wendy into the cabin. It wasn't very big, and was basically what you would imagine a cabin to be like.

"Rooms are down there." She said, pointing down a hallway. "My dad doesn't want anyone in his room, but my brothers's rooms are free for you to use. They're not going to be back for a while."

"Can Jason Funderberker have his own room?" Greg asked, holding him up to Wendy.

"Sure." She smiled, and Greg looked like he was going to hug her again. They started to walk down the hall, but I didn't follow this time. "Hey, you should meet my friend Mabel. She's got a pet pig. Hey, Wirt, you coming?"

I still didn't move as I called back a response. "Um, I'd rather get some fresh air for um ... poetry and stuff."

"Sure thing, man. Just be careful."

"I'll be fine." I finally started to move toward the door. "I'm not scared of the woods." As I closed the door, I knew I was lying to myself. When you've been through a forest that was practically like Purgatory, it's not uncommon to be scared of the woods. I sat down on a stump close to the side of the house.

"Stupid stepdad." I muttered, kicking away at the surrounding area. "Why'd you have to send us here anyways?" I kept swinging my legs, until my foot hit something solid. I moved away the leaves covering it to reveal a book. It was covered in leather and looked old and worn down. On the front was a golden hand print. I put my hand over it to see it had one more finger than I did. I removed my hand looking down at the hand, it's center marked with a '3'. Opening it up to a random page, I began to read.

_Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed, I'm being watched.  
I must hide this book before He finds it. Remember-- in Gravity Falls there is no one you can trust._

**_ TRUST NO ONE! _ **

I closed the book and clung it to my chest. I understood that the world was weird, but this? Gravity Falls seemed like a quiet little Oregon town, and this mysterious author was suggesting that things aren't what they seem. I wanted to go inside, to tell Wendy & Greg about this book I found. But I just sat there on the stump, one question circulating my mind.

Was there really no one I should trust?

** Norman **

"Can we not put the tent here?" I suggested to Neil, my best friend. He looked at me puzzlingly for about a nanosecond, but shrugged it off quickly.

"No problem. How about over there?" He pointed at a spot by a tree about 30 yards away. There was only one ghost there, a middle age woman in flannel and jeans. But there were ghosts everywhere in this spot in the woods. At least it was better than the married couple arguing in my ear.

"Sorry. It's just ... a married couple was arguing in my ear."

"What were they arguing about?" Neil asked. I smiled a little. If there was anyone I wanted to spend a month with, it was at least the person who accepted my gift with no questions asked.

"Whose fault it was that they got killed. Man thought natural causes, and the woman thought it was that her husband left the barbecue on."

"Ah. And hey, at least this spot is closer to bathroom. You know, for my irritable bowel syndrome."

"I know. Just don't stink up the tent this time." He laughed, and we began to set up the tent. I was glad that I picked this spot, because the ghost who was here helped us set up the tent. Which was good, since neither me or Neil knew how.

"My husband loved to do this kind of stuff all the time." She explained to me later when we were done. "It's the reason I hang out here all the time anyways. Because of my family." I grabbed the hammer to put away and smiled at her.

"That's sweet." I responded

"Hey, Norman, who you talking to?" Neil asked.

"The ghost who helped us out. She's over there." I indicated with the hammer she was behind me and accidentally hit the tree. I was expecting maybe some bark to fall off. But instead the sound of metal on metal vibrated back. I paused longer than I should have to look at the tree.

"What's wrong? Did the tree startle you?" Neil said jokingly, and came by side. Just as I pulled open a secret compartment within the trunk. All that was inside was a dusty switch box with only 2 switches. "Woah. Flick them, see what happens."

"I don't think anything is going to happen." I insisted as I chose one of the switches. Then the other. "See, nothing."

"I think something happened, alright." Neil turned around so I, too, could see the secret compartment in the ground that was open. I looked at my best friend, and he looked at me. Then we headed over to the compartment and looked inside.

There was a book inside covered by dust. It was covered in what looked like red leather that was ripped in a few places. I wiped away the dust to find a gold six fingered hand with a black 2 in the center.

"Woah." Neil said again as I picked up the book. Flipping through the pages, the book looked like it was full of spells and monsters. "That ... is awesome."

"Looks dangerous." I commented. "I mean, why would someone want to hide it if it wasn't dangerous?" I looked at the book again. "Should I keep it?"

"Yes!" Neil practically yelled in my ear. "Hey, maybe there are more."

"You sure?"

"Probably. I mean ... who would label a book with a 2 if there wasn't a first?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the support on this, it means so much. Especially when you are juggling multiple fanfics, every comment is just the best. That aside, I just want to address how old everyone is quick. 
> 
> As the title suggests, this takes place one year after. Assuming that all of their events took place around the same time, Dipper and Mabel would be 13, Norman would be 12, and Neil would be 11. As for Wirt and Greg, it never exactly gives specific ages for them in Over the Garden Wall. So, I'm guessing that Wirt is around Dipper and Mabel's age, or about 13 or 14. Greg would probably be a little younger than Neil, or about 9 or 10. Hope that clears things up. And hey, thanks.

**Norman**

The book was definitely dangerous. The more I looked through it, the more it seemed like the scribblings of a madman. I mean, what the heck is a cycloptopus? And what kind of man writes about blood rain? Despite the weird and ... someone mental content, I kept reading.

"Norman ..." Neil groaned. "Go to sleep already."

"Sorry. This book is just really interesting. It like ... something out of my favorite horror films."

"You can always come back to it tomorrow. Just go to sleep."

"Ok." I said, turning off the flashlight I used to read. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the insomnia, but my mind kept wandering back to the things in the book. Especially the Bill Cipher page. He scared me. Plus in bold red letters were the words _**DO NOT SUMMON AT ALL COST!**_ I had reason to believe he was most dangerous thing in the book. Which I ended up reading again.

Around 2 in the morning (I know because I checked Neil's phone periodically), that female ghost who helped us set of the tent came in again. She was silent, only gesturing me to follow her.

"Why?" I asked, but again she did not say anything. She simply floated out of the tent expecting me to follow. I glanced over at Neil, who snored. Loudly. Figured a couple minutes outside couldn't hurt. Besides, I going to sleep anytime soon. Stupid insomnia.

The breeze hit me hard. It was supposed to be June, but it felt like April still. At least it somewhat warmer than Maine this time of year. But being in nothing but a Psycho t-shirt and and shorts did nothing to help. The woman was a few feet ahead, and I followed her. Deeper and deeper into the woods.

"Are ... Are you sure this is safe?" I asked, shivering now. She nodded, and floated a few feet ahead before stopping. I stood next to her as she pointed to an area up ahead. I couldn't see it right away, but felt blind when I finally did. At the base of one of the trees was a girl. Her bright red hair was up in a bun, and she had an blue dress on. She was curled up somewhat in the fetal position, her knees not quite reaching her chest. As I ran over to help her, I saw she had, for some reason, grown branches around her waist and ankles. "How long has she been here?" I asked the ghost as I tested away at the branches.

"Not long." She finally responded. "Only about an hour ago."

"What kind of branches grow around someone that quickly, then?"

"None that I've see." I picked the girl up so we stood side by side. One of her arms was wrapped around my shoulders, while my other arm was around her waist. She seemed only about half awake.

"Where ... Am ... I?" She asked slowly, coming out in barely a whisper.

"Gravity Falls, Oregon." I told her.

"So ... Far ... Away."

"Where are you from?" I asked her, but she didn't respond. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have answered that question right away either. So I tried a different one. "What's you name?"

"Must ... Find ..."

"What's your name?" I asked again, seeming this time to register the question.

"Beatrice."

** Wirt **

I was up all night with that book. Reading and rereading the various entries contained. Some were elegant sketches of creatures like the undead or gnomes. Towards the end, the professionalism seems to die away, and Journal entries written by another person seem to take their place. But it all was about this town of Gravity Falls, how strange is was if you just looked.

"Whatcha reading?" I panicked, and practically threw the book onto the floor. Wendy stood in the doorway, her plaid shirt tied around her waist to reveal a tank top.

"Uh ... Poetry." I lied, trying to pick up the book while keeping eye contact with Wendy. I ended up on the floor. "Ow."

"You okay?" Wendy asked, hovering over me at this point.

"Fine. Perfectly fine. What ... What do you want?" Wendy offered me a hand, but I declined it. I stood up, hugging the book to my chest.

"I just saw you reading." She admitted. "Then I saw WHAT you were reading." She tapped the book. "And that's no poetry book."

"Wh ... What? Of ... Of course it's ... poetry." Wendy held up a finger, and darted away to her bed. I could've gone back to bed, but I stood there like an idiot there until she came back a minute later. She had something in her hand, but I couldn't see what it was.

"Open the book."

"Why would ...?"

"Just ... trust me on this. Open the book."

**_ TRUST NO ONE! _ **

I looked at her quizzically, but did eventually open the book. She pulled out what was behind her, a blacklight. She held it over the book, and turned it on. Instantly a slew of new writing appeared in invisible ink.

"Woah."

"My friend found this journal last summer." Wendy told me. "I'm actually going to see him and his sister tomorrow. You should come."

"I mean ... I really don't think ..."

"C'mon. You really seem interested in this kind of stuff. Meeting the kid won't hurt."

**_ TRUST NO ONE! _ **

"Ok."

"Alright. Make sure you're ready." She waved as she left the room, leaving me with the blacklight. It was only then that I crawled back into bed. Flipping through the pages of the book (correction: Journal) with this newfound interest.

**_TRUST NO ONE!_ **

**Dipper**

"I thought you said that you were going to give that back to Great Uncle Ford." Mabel complained as she bounced on her bed.

"I said I was going to SHOW Ford." I corrected. "But ... not tonight. I mean, I never really got a chance to look through the other two journals."

"Please tell me you're not going to become obsessed with that Journal like last summer."

"I won't! I swear I'm going to give this to Ford tomorrow before Wendy gets here." Mabel stopped bouncing. She hopped of her bed and held out her hand, or more specifically her pinky.

"Pinky promise?" I rolled my eyes, and stuck out my pinky to shake.

"Oh, yes. My pinky promises." Mabel slapped me.

"Don't be sarcastic with me, Mr. Gru." She said. "I want this summer to be different."

"Well, we don't have Grunkles building portals in the basement or a demonic triangle to worry about. So, this summer will probably be different."

"Hey, we don't know what Ford is doing down in that basement of his." She joked. We laughed, and I turned the page absentmindedly in the journal. I heard something flutter out, but didn't think or look to see what it was. "Hey, bro-bro?"

"Hm?"

"Isn't this the Bill Cipher page from the 3rd Journal?" I looked at my twin. Sure enough, the Bill Cipher entry from Journal #3 was in her hand, its edge shown it was torn out. Panic soon overwhelmed me.

"This is bad! This is very, very bad!"

"Calm down, Dip."

"Do you know what this means, Mabel?!?" I yelled.

"No?" She hesitantly answered.

"Someone found the Journals first!"

"So?"

"So?! So?! This isn't just some issue that we brush aside. Something is amiss in Gravity Falls and they are using the journals in order to maybe bring back Bill!"

"Dipper!" Mabel grabbed my shoulders, and me look directly into her eyes. "We defeated Bill. He isn't coming back!"

"But do you know that?" I refuted. "We didn't use the Cipher circle, we erased him along with Grunkle Stan's memory."

"He's still gone."

"But Grunkle Stan's memory isn't. He recovered it back very easily."

"Just because Stan got his memory back, doesn't mean Bill is coming back with it." Mabel sighed before she continued. "Dipper. You are not going to get hung up over this like with the Author last year. Just let it go. Say it."

"Let it go." I repeated. "Let it go." Mabel smiled, and let go of my shoulders. She headed back to her own bed, and continued bouncing on it. I picked up the Journal page Mabel had left on the floor and looked at it.

I was not going to let this go.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for being patient with me. I know you guys have been waiting and it means a lot that people are interested in this story. So, thanks again. It's taking so long because 
> 
> 1) it's not my main fanfic   
> 2)I'm not feeling very motivated in the summer   
> 3) I'm trying to work on my Gold Award   
> 4) More fandoms. Seriously, since I've updated I've gotten into Star vs. the Forces of Evil, Rick and Morty, and Wolf 359  
> 5) This is the chapter where they finally meet (somewhat) and I NEEDED to get the wording right. 
> 
> So, lots of reasons. Sorry, I really am. But enjoy.

** Wirt **

"Almost there, guys." Wendy assured me as we headed toward the edge of town. She lead the way, with Greg at her side. He had Jason Funderberker in his arms. Me? I stayed behind them, in no way enthusiastic about meeting Wendy's friend. The Journal I left at Wendy's house.

"Hey, Wirt." Greg turned back to me. "Do you think Wendy's friends will go on a frog hunt with us?"

"I don't know." I muttered. Greg didn't seem to buy that answer, as I soon had Jason Funderberker in my face.

"Cheer up, Mr. Sourface. Candy?" He pulled out some of the candy in his pant pocket and held it out to me. I took it to keep him quiet.

"Whatever, Candypants." Greg smiled at this remark. He then ran back to Wendy's side, and pulled out more candy out of his pockets. She took some. We walked for a little longer, with Greg occasionally offering us candy.

"Here it is." Wendy said, as we approached a place called the Mystery Shack. It looked old and run down, with the 'S' in Shack not even on the sign. "Just as tacky as I remember."

"You ... work here?" I asked, as a goat passed by my left. Wendy just shrugged.

"Money is money. Even if it means working in a tacky tourist trap." Wendy beckoned us to follow as we headed inside. The 'exhibits' were obvious fakes, with one being a monkey glued to a fish and calling it a mermaid.

"Wow. How do you even make money in here?" I asked, cringing.

"People are willing to pay for anything." Wendy whispered.

"Woah." Greg exclaimed. "A unicorn made of corn."

"Prime example." I commented, and Wendy and I both laughed.

"What up, dudes?" Another person, this one older than Wendy. He wore a suit with a fez on top of head.

"Soos!" Wendy beamed.

"You're on register, as always." He said. "We open on five. These your cousins?"

"Soos, meet Wirt and Greg." I waved shyly. Greg turned around at the mention of his name, then came to practically tackle hug Soos.

"He's like a giant teddy bear." He breath, trying to bury himself further into Soos's stomach.

"You should introduce this dude to Mabel." He commented to Wendy. "She's covering right now at the register."

"Thanks, man. C'mon, boys." I followed Wendy at a distance, making sure Greg let go of Soos and he followed. We entered what seemed to be the main gift shop of the shack, with another door leading out.

"Ohmygosh!" A girl at the counter squealed. She couldn't have been more than 13, with long brown hail that reached down her back. She had a sweater on covered in stars. "Wendy! You're finally here. Tell me EVERYTHING!"

The girls began chatting, and I used the time to really take in the place Wendy worked. The things that were in here were beyond strange. There was something that looked like a Mayan calendar in the corner, a variety of bumper stickers, yellow t-shirts with question marks. There was even a skull up high on a shelf with a candle melting on top, the wax slowly melting down its sides like rain on a leaf without a care ...

Ok, don't start with the poetry.

"Wirt?" Greg asked, pulling on his pant leg.

"What is it, Greg?" I asked, staring back at pleading eyes. He held up Jason Funderberker expectingly, as if asking me to take him. He then pointed to a pig by the entrance to the living room. I nodded (what else was I supposed to do? I didn't know whose pig it was.), and took Jason Funderberker into my arms. Greg squealed a little before dashing off after the pig, which ran away as Greg approached.

I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing. I was kinda just ... standing there in the middle of the gift shop holding Jason Funderberker awkwardly by the armpits. If frogs have armpits, I don't really know. Let's just say I held him as far as I could from me from the area under his arms.

"Hey, Wirt?" I snapped out the daze I was in to look at the girls. I dropped Jason Funderberker in the process. "Where did Greg go? I wanna introduce him to Mabel." Wendy said.

"Uh ... There was a pig?" I told them, though it was more of a question. Despite this, Mabel seemed to understand.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed. "That's just Waddles. Do you know where they went?" I nodded and pointed toward the living room. "Thank you!" She then embraced me in a hug that I thought was impossible for someone her size.

"Thanks. Oh, and could you take Jason Funderberker with you?" I asked, pointing to the frog that was again on my foot.

"Aw, he's cute." She picked up Jason Funderberker, and practically cuddled him into her arms. "Don't worry. Jason's in good hands."

"Jason Funderberker." I corrected. Mabel looked at me quizzically. "Greg's very specific about that. Trust me when I say I'd call him Jason if I could." Mabel nodded to this and darted off. I turned back to Wendy, who eyed the vending machine expectingly. "So ... is that the friend you wanted me to meet?"

"Nah. Mabel's more like Greg. Bouncy, energetic, big people person. Dipper is more of the social awkward paranormal type. He'll be up soon." She reassured. Ok, now when she said this, I thought that meant from like outside or another set of stairs and come through the living room.

I was not prepared when he came out from behind the vending machine.

** Dipper **

I wouldn't have come up from Ford's ... office, for lack of a better term, if I had realized someone else was up there besides Mabel. Sure, it was fine that Wendy was at the resister. But there was another boy there, who looked liked he'd just seen a Level 10 ghost.

He looked about my age, but was taller and lankier. His brown hair was messy, but only slightly. Not as much as mine nor nearly as long. He wore a yellow-orange sweater over a white button down, with gray pants to complement. I wondered how that kid wasn't sweating. Then again Mabel was constantly wearing sweaters.

"Hey, Dipper." Wendy waved from counter. "This is my cousin, Wirt. He's the one I said was staying with me."

"I thought you told us there were two boys." I asked, approaching the counter as Wendy kicked her feet up.

"Greg is with Mabel." She said. "Besides, I'd figured you'd get along with Wirt better." I turned to look at Wirt, who was still gawking at the vending machine.

"Uh ... Wirt?" He turned around to look at me, the stunned expression still on his face.

"Did ... you just come out of the vending machine?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's just where my Great Uncle Ford works. You'll probably never see that again." I dismissed. Ford didn't like anyone going down stairs. "So, what brings you to Gravity Falls?"

"Oh, my mom and stepdad sent us up here after an ... incident ... 7 months ago." He tugged on his shirt collar on 'incident'.

"Hey, Dipper!" Wendy called from her position at the counter. "He's into that paranormal stuff, too."

"No way!" I exclaimed, unleashing what my sister called 'my inner fanboy'.

"Yeah. When he's not practicing his clarinet or reading poetry." Wirt began blushing and again started to tug at his collar.

"Ha ha, yeah. Can't any more personal and embarrassing than that." Wirt said, then turning to throw a glare at Wendy. I wasn't sure if now was the time to tell him I played the sousaphone, but I'd rather ... not.

"So, when did you get into the paranormal?" I asked, hoping to dodge the poetry and clarinet thing. Wirt was clearly uncomfortable with it.

"About 7 months ago." He admits. "It wasn't that 'incident' that I became interested in it. Hoping to learn more about what happened and wonder if anyone else had experienced the same. Even signed up on strangeandweird.com."

"Hey, I'm on that website. Wanna trade usernames?" I may have been rushing into things, but I ... need friends. Not everyone could be as social as Mabel.

"That's great, guys." Wendy butted in. In all honesty, I had forgotten she was here. Like, how could I forget her beautifully long red hair or her voice and her coolness and ...

I still have a crush on her. Great.

"You guys are going to want to take this upstairs." She pointed out. "Soos has got the first tour bus of tourists coming in." Sure enough, as I craned my neck to see, I saw Soos talking to a bunch of tourist by the rock that looks like a face rock.

"C'mon." I said. "We can head upstairs."

"We're not going to have to open another secret vending machine to get there, are we?"

"No." I reassured him. "But you might want to watch your step. The Mystery is as well built as it is credible." Wirt seemed opened his say something, but closed it very quickly. We went through the door marked 'employees' only, heading to the living room where my laptop currently sat on the chair opposite the TV.

"Incoming!" I heard Mabel shout, shortly followed by Waddles crashing down the stairs. There was a frog on his back, and the two proceeded to dash toward the kitchen. Mabel and another boy shortly followed, laughing as the followed the frog and Waddles.

The boy looked a few years younger then me, about 9 or 10. I could only assume this was Wendy's other cousin, Greg. He had some pudge to him, but his complimented his big cheeks and even bigger smile. He wore a plain dark green shirt, and had a similar hairstyle to his brother's: brown and messy with a few hairs covering his forehead.

"I'm not even going to question it." I muttered, not expecting anyone to hear. This was Mabel, after all. The girl who had duck taped Waddles to Gompers and pronounced them married only last summer.

"Sorry Dip!" She said as she passed. "Hey Wirt." Wirt waved shyly, then received a similar message from the young boy.

"My twin sister, Mabel, and her pet pig, Waddles." I explained to a probably confused Wirt. "Was that your brother?"

"Stepbrother." He corrected. "And yes. The frog was his. It's named Jason Funderberker." I nodded, then resumed taking Wirt upstairs to Mabel's and my bedroom in the attic. When we got there, I plopped down on my bed, while Wirt simply sat down on Mabel's bed.

"Sorry about the mess." I said as Wirt as he tossed Mabel's nightgown toward her pillow. "We weren't exactly expecting company."

"It's fine." He said, but he still looked annoyed at all of Mabel's clothes thrown haphazardly around him. "So ... you said you were on strangeandweird.com? What's your username?"

"PineTree618. You?"

Wirt didn't answer right away. He seemed to tense up, shoulders tightening up and hands curling into fists. He stared at me, like what I had said caused the gears in his mind to click and come to a stunning realization. His eyes were vacant, unmoving and somewhat unblinking. It was starting to freak me out at this point.

"Wirt?" I asked, waving my hand in front of his face to try and get some focus into them (if that made sense). It worked, but only resulted in him staring at me more.

"Promise me you won't freak out?" He asked.

"That's a weird question. Why do ...?"

"Just answer the question. Promise me you won't freak out."

"I promise I won't freak out. Now, what's your username." Wirt took a big deep breath before finally answering.

"DrowningGnome."

**Norman**

"Well, what exactly are we going to do?" Neil asked. It was morning, and it didn't exactly help that he'd woke up first due to another one of his 'movements', as he called it. So, explaining how I found a girl stranded in Victorian style clothes in the woods wrapped in branches was not how I planned spending my morning.

"It's not like we know where she lives, or where she's from ..."

"Neil ..." I tried interrupting, but he kept talking.

"... and what kind of girl wears that style of clothes anyways? It's like she came from a different time period."

"Neil."

"Do you have a plan, Norman? Because I don't know where she's from and I don't think she does either."

"Okay, first." Both of our heads turn to see the girl, Beatrice, standing in the doorway to the tent. Only her head and some of her shoulders were outside. "I can hear you. And you guys are very loud."

"Um ... how much did you hear?" I ask. Mainly because if she heard the ghost part of the rebelling, she wouldn't understand. Most people don't.

"Really it's only when he started talking." She pointed to Neil.

"So ... do you have any questions?" I asked.

"No, not really." She snapped. "I know where I am, and with that I can probably get home by myself." Beatrice fully emerged from the tent, and I could see the extent of some of the damage. Her dress was in tatters at the bottom, and there were some holes throughout. Even her arms were covered in scraps and bruises.

"Don't you maybe want some bandaids?" Neil asked. "Or a new outfit?"

"I said I'm fine." She repeated as she started going toward the woods.

"Town is the other way." I pointed out.

"Well, this is the way I came. So, it must lead back home." I looked at Neil. We both seemed to have the same idea, and quickly followed Beatrice into the woods. I watched as she maneuvered around loose roots and fallen branches with, as I realized later, no shoes.

"I think maybe we should head back into town. Get some clothes, something to eat." I suggested. "Then we get a phone and call your parents to pick you up, or something." She seemed to pause at the word phone, maybe confirming what Neil said earlier. But then she stopped completely, looking up at the trees. I glanced at Neil, who seemed as puzzled as I was.

"These trees aren't familiar." She seemed to mutter.

"What?" Neil asked, and she turned to face us. Sharply. It made both of us to take a step back and me trip on a root.

"Where did you say this was again?"

"Gravity Falls, Oregon, USA." I answer as I stand up. She looks down and mouths something, before turning back to us.

"I-I think I'll take that offer now." Beatrice admits, before turning and walking past us.

"Well, that went well." I say, before turning back to follow Beatrice. She wasn't standing too far away from us, waiting with her arms crossed. Neil passed by her, but she grabbed my arm before I could sneak by.

"You're different." She says. "I can tell."

"Is that ... a good thing?" I wonder aloud. She nods.

"I'm trusting you. And I don't do that often. Because I really someone I can trust right now."

"And why is that?" She takes a deep breath before responding.

"I don't know where I am. And not that I haven't been here before. It's just ... last I heard Oregon was just a territory."

"What ... What year is it, Beatrice?" I ask, afraid of what the answer might me.

"It's probably not what I think it is."

"What do you think it is?"

"1826."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I had a lot of fun. Especially writing Beatrice.


End file.
